Top Rated Reviews

Greeting to all my fragrance friends!

I'm finally taking the time to thank you all SO MUCH for your kind words about FETISH and our other fragrances as well. I am so glad that so many of you have enjoyed the scent. We sell our perfumes globally and they do very well but when it comes to FETISH, Germany wins hands down! For that I am eternally grateful to all of you on Parfumo.de. You have made it possible.

I do hope someday to visit Germany and meet you all to thank you in person.

Vielen Dank!

Neil

Bentley for Men intense is ridicolously good. Breathtakingly good, the kind of good which makes you feel there’s still hope for perfumery – both niche and designer, as Intense easily stands above most of both – and it is somehow rooted into both. As other reviewers noted in fact, it brilliantly takes its inspiration from Idole de Lubin for all the exotic boozy-woody stuff, a couple of Tauer perfumes (I strongly agree with L’air du Désert Marocain reference in particular, I clearly smell almost the exact same base of tasty spicy ambroxan for a while), and Amouage’s Jubilation XXV. I would also add Gucci pour Homme I, not because of the notes (even if I get some subtle similarities) but because of a sort of common ground of dark, breezy and understated woody-incense elegance which so far, basically only Gucci pour Homme I itself was able to express at its best – and now, Bentley does it too. Intense is decidedly darker, though: it’s boozy, peppery and leathery with a genius aromatic breeze of greenish, fougère-like notes of bay leaves and a hint of cocoa-like patchouli (think Lutens’ Borneo 1834), but as for many fragrances by Nathalie Lorson, showing an irresistible sort of dusty, weightless resinous-talc texture making it smell discreet, warm, slightly sweet and extremely sophisticated. Also slightly fruity too.

And for once, the “concept” and the skills of the nose are supported by a decent budget, as this smells clearly a great quality fragrance also from the point of view of the materials. It is rich (despite being unobtrusively “thin”), deep, vibrant, it has a brilliant evolution from the sharp boozy-leathery-patchouli opening (the leather in particular is really good here for me – Amouage-like, again) to a fantastic amber-incense drydown with sweet echoes of benzoin, leather and talc. It is really mannered and refined, at the same time totally safe and versatile, almost close to skin as a proper classy scent should wear, but long lasting. My expectations were quite high given the praise by a couple of “key” reviewers for me, but it easily surpassed them, and I think Bentley and Firmenich couldn’t really do better than this. Well to cut it short I can’t say better what other reviewers already said – this is easily one of the very best fragrances of the last decade, period. Apparently the prices dropped as I paid 40 eur/100 ml on a French website, and that’s a steal for such a great fragrance.

8,5-9/10

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”
1 Corinthians 13:11

"Eww, you smell exactly like your father!"-she said.

During my teenage years I never knew why my mother always said Kouros was one of her favorite fragrances ever. It seemed like everytime I tried to get myself to understand that I end up on the cold dark road (that pissy road to be exact, you know, the one next to the main highway). It seemed like I was tapdancing in the dark..for a long time. I remember I couldn't stop thinking about the fragrance for some reason..so periodicaly I kept coming back to it, to smell it again and again, hoping I could experience the exact feeling my mother had when she smelled Kouros (the best men's fragrance ever-her words) for the first time-but still no luck! After that, my interest started growing more and more each day because I couldn't understand that fragrance from the inside out like I used to understand other fragrances..and why was my mother so obsessed with it..this was a big enigma for me, and since I always loved mysteries, I kept pushing forward, I had to.

After 15 years..as soon as I got my first few greys on my beard I thought maybe now is the time, right?!
Still the same effect! Weird. All untill..
..one year ago I saw Kouros standing on some dusty shelve in an old perfumery in Switzerland. It looked kinda lost, lonely..something spoke to me in that moment and I went and sprayed it directly on my skin. Sensation I was anticipating for more than 15 years was there! From the opening untill the most beautiful, manliest, perfect, addictive drydown ever! Yes! It was worth of wait for so long! Now I understand how my mother felt when she experienced it for the first time! I was so happy and thrilled, so I came home and started telling whole story to my girl. After my half-hour monologue she just said "Eww you smell exactly like your father!"
(I sat there for a brief moment in silence and then it hit me) - "Yes I finally do"-and I smiled.

Ouch! How come I have not yet reviewed, or even commented on, this gem? Bogart pour Homme has been part of my arsenal since April 2018, and I only now realize that I haven't spent a few words to tell so much beauty. Bogart Pour Homme is a bargain, powerhouse scent from the well-respected yet under-appreciated house of Jacques Bogart. The fragrance is genuinely in my strings, albeit I rarely like too sweet scents. Here the tonka goes down heavy, but behind an overwhelming tobacco sweetness, there is something stylish, vaguely mysterious, and a little retro that makes me appreciate it and not a little.

It is a magnificent example where a balanced blend of a handful of notes creates an entirely new and unified olfactory impression. A cherry tobacco note dominates in this perfume and to my olfactory sense. Still, in the pyramidal notes, there is neither cherry nor tobacco. Just to give you a hint, Bogart pour Homme uncannily likens "Le Mâle (Eau de Toilette) | Jean Paul Gaultier" and "A*Men Pure Havane | Mugler". There are plenty of barbershop vibes in common. To some extent, the cologne also shares some nuances with "TL pour Lui (Eau de Toilette) | Ted Lapidus", which doesn't surprise me at all. In fact, behind the two fragrances, there are the same expert hands of the master perfumers, Maurice Roucel and Norbert Bijaoui.

Bogart pour Homme belongs to the aromatic, fougére, and oriental families. It unfolds fresh, vibrant, with tiny citrus bergamot that shares the stage with a couple of blossoms, an outstanding lavender, proudly blue, herbal, hay-like, and slightly balsamic and laundry, and a more humble water lily. The blend is kindly savory, as if aromatic leaves were present in the concoction. The blast of opening fills the room pleasantly, with an aura akin to dried fruits.

But the floral slant does not end with the rising phase. The heart releases a bouquet full of wild lily-of-the-valley; its poisoning bitterness is unmistakable. A smidgen of orange blossom balances the bitter harmony with honeyed facets. And, buried amid the petals, there is a tender rose, which adds smoothness and powderiness to the central stage. Despite there being a floral undertone, there is nothing prominent or tender.

As it settles in, it gets more powdery, and the coumarin base becomes more prominent. The final accords for this cologne are musky, spicy, and smoky. Don't let the patchouli scare you. It is modern, super clean, and subdued with a powdery, sweet, and lovely trail. The sweet, unburnt cherry tobacco pipe puffing away over manly coumarin vanilla-tonka combo and dry cedarwood are more substantial. The notes of cherry and tobacco are distinct, even if the initial impression is that they are amalgamated. The cherry shrinks a little, and the tobacco and spice come forward. Wait a moment, are we talking about a designer fragrance? Yes, we're. Though, throughout its lifetime, the scent seems to be a niche one.

The sillage of this scent is incredible, at least for the batch I own. And as for its lasting power, well, try to get rid of it, and you will see. It may be a good choice if you have a long day or night of plans. Bogart pour Homme is not for the faint of heart; it's loud and maybe too much for some people. But for those who can handle it, Bogart is a glorious scent. A strong opening calms down to a pleasant cherry note that lasts throughout the wearing and feels rich without being too sweet. I love this because I don't find it exceedingly sappy like some other modern colognes, thankfully. Instead, Bogart Pour Homme smells exceptionally aromatic, and I even detect some nice green mossy notes in this. Some have commented that it is relatively linear, and I would agree. Still, it makes up for it with excellent longevity and seriously massive projection. It's sweet, no question about it, but not cloying, and it has a hard edge somewhere in it. It's creamy but not lush and foody. I love it, it's a beautiful scent, and it's very inexpensive, with a masculine slant, though non-offensive, and not overly masculine. This fragrance has excellent performance and is a distinctive scent for the cold weather. My favorite season is fall. If you like cherry vanilla tobacco scents, you will enjoy this!

I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since April 2018.

-Elysium

Two fascinating moments in perfumery happened within a few years of each other. They are the “road not taken” moments. When Thierry Mugler’s Angel hit the scene, women’s perfumery was changed irrevocably. Florals, chypres, traditional orientals were instantly ancien régime. It was a classic paradigm shift, an overthrow of the old order. The floral survived by evolving into Fruity Florals, Orientals were diminished and became Gourmands, Chypres, god help us all, became outlaws and now are effectively black market commodities.

The specifics of how the men’s market changed in the 1980s differ in some respects from the changes in the feminine market, but the parallels and simultaneity of the changes make the similarities more important than the differences. Davidoff Cool Water was the masculine counterpart to Angel.

To say the aromatic fougère was supplanted by the aquatic fougère doesn’t sound like much, but the the newer, more tailored aromatic fougères had just started to surpass the dominance of the 70s big boys like Paco Rabanne Pour Homme and Azzaro Pour Homme. It was the greatest height of the fougère since the release of Fougère Royale in 1882. Musky fougères (YSL Kouros, Paco Rabanne Ténéré, Dior Jules) floral fougères (Caron’s Troisième Homme, Xeryus) spiced fougères (YSL Jazz, Jacomo Anthracite, Laroche Drakkar Noir) were taking the genre in exciting new directions. The fougère is structurally tied to both the oriental (tonka, balsam) and the chypre (oakmoss and coumarin tethering more effusive floral and spiced notes). It is an inherently rich genre and many perfumers were using the fougère structure to find new ideas. It’s worth considering that Michael Edward’s, the most authoritative figure in the nomenclature of perfumery, placed the fougère at the center of the wheel he created as a visual analogy for categorizing perfumes. It is the ur-perfume.

There were still a few great aromatic fougères produced, such as Partick by Patrick of Ireland (1999) a fougère in the chypre direction, and YSL Rive Gauche pour Homme (2003), but for the most part, after the advent of of Cool Water (1988) the aquatic fougère ruled with an iron fist. Dyhydromyrcenol made for the creation of fougères that would have the volume of the best fougère from the 1970s, but lacked the complexity and therefore matched the feminine counterparts that were becoming ever louder, ever simpler fruity florals and candied gourmands. Feminism’s effect on perfumery changed or waned, depending on your perspective, and the empowered feminines like Aromtics Elixir, Scherrer de Scherrer, Dior Diorella, YSL Rive Gauche became ‘Old Lady Perfumes’. Hypergender became a stylistic norm, and countless straight couples could be spotted on the town: her, with hair three feet high and rising dosed with Poison or Angel; him with slicked back hair drenched in Cool Water.

I am sad over the loss of the pre-1988 aromatic fougère. It was just about to take off into some great places. Let’s not forget that these perfume were also the basic blue-print for the 1980’s mens’ power frag. Take a fougère, exchange the lavender for some more spicy elements, and freeze-dry the wood. Voila! Krizia Uomo, Chanel Antaeus, Patou pour Homme. Sometimes the player of a group known for largesse is the one to go for. Scherrer de Scherrer, a chypre that could give Aromatics Elixir a black eye is my go to green/leather chypre. Xeryus has some of that well-dressed thug appeal, seeming more like a perfume for Craig’s Bond than Moore’s. Or perhaps Dench’s M.

Xeryus is becoming on you in the way it allows to you swagger a bit. It lends authority. It’s a remarkably detailed perfume that tells you not to sweat the details. It has a vaguely threatening edge at the same time it lets you be a pretty boy. Great combo of attributes. Definitely a perfume to play with.

I've been threatening to write this review for the longest time so here goes!! I LOVE 1889 - MOULIN ROUGE!! Here's why:

I have been on the stage for the last 25 years ... give or take ... I'd prefer 'take' :). I don't hide the fact that I am a performing drag artist ... who cares?? It's 2012!! I have performed on big stages and I have performed on tiny stages, on TV and in movies ... this fragrance immediately transports me to the most hallowed of places for people like me ... the dressing room! As an artist, this is the place where all of the vital stuff happens ... the prep. What is seen onstage is simply the culmination of what happens back there ... its a little world all of it's own.
1889 - Moulin Rouge is about as 'over the top' as any fragrance can get. The opening is dusty, as the dressing rooms of the most revered theaters tend to be, a touch fruity (orange peels in a wastepaper basket) and a pinch spicy (the cinnamon here is short lived on my skin). The fragrance unfolds typically ... a well worn leather makeup case is opened next to a bouquet of opening night roses, the heat from the lights around the makeup mirror intensifying the fragrance of slightly warm lipsticks (iris) emanating from within. The musky intensity of greasepaint and slightly soiled makeup brushes overwhelms slightly, while at the end there is the scent of damp costumes piled into a laundry basket, faint traces of sweat mingling with the sweetness of the cheap body spray it was somewhat disguised in.
I would hesitate in recommending this frag to just anyone. The wearing of it demands an intimate knowledge of this clandestine world. Make no mistake, this is a Diva ... slightly frayed around the edges, morally questionable ... but in the realm of that which she calls home ... MAGNIFI-SCENT.

Gents, don't even go here unless you enjoy getting up in a party frock :) ... this one takes absolutely no prisoners!!

When Tom Ford took the creative direction of YSL, back in 1999, he helped the brand create some of the best fragrances in their catalog. This was his first men's fragrance and was composed by the great Annick Ménardo. Although is kinda forgotten despite the fact that it's still available to purchase. Everybody talks about the discontinued M7 and Rive Gauche pour homme (which are both great fragrances) but this is very under the radar and i don't know why.

This is a really interesting fragrance. Despite the name, it doesn't remind me of Kouros at all. In fact, it smells like sweet woods (benzoin mixed with cedar) but in a weird, almost alien-ish, yet warm-fresh and inviting. The eucalyptus note is noticeable in the opening and brings the green freshness facet to the fragrance mixed with a chinese incense type of a smell that quickly fades away to the sweet wood thing that will last a good 8h on skin. There's a liccorice kind of a smell mixed in the composition but not so strong as in others like Lolita Lempicka, created also by Annick Ménardo.

Despite the weirdness, this is very easy and confortably fragrance to wear specially in night outs or during fall and winter time. Annick Ménardo ussually utilises new synthetic components and mix them with classical bases and ingredients. And this one is a good example of it. Very new and weird smell but, at the same time, really well made and with a classical touch.

i recommend this one even in the newer formulation. Of course the vintage has better quality and has a more disctinct eucalyptus note but, it's still Body Kouros and it still performs and smell good.

A forgotten gem that is still available and pleasant to wear.

4/5 for the vintage
3/5 for the current formulation

My dearly beloveds, we are gathered here today to celebrate the life and the premature death of a work of art that is sorely missed. Fendi Fendi, according to databases, was first launched in 1985. I only met her just last year when my quest for vintage fragrances began to soar. At first sniff, my eyes watered. Fendi, for me, carries the feel of L' Heure Bleu but sways in the opposite direction. Where L'Heure Bleu is subtle and unobtrusive, Fendi is prominent with a hot chip on her shoulder.

An initial blast of spice leads to soft, aromatic florals.

Warm spices envelop the sweetest flowers. Ylang is captivating as it mingles with Jasmine and Patchouli making this a deep, rich and irresistible. If carefully applied, Fendi can be as soft as corn silk yet powerfully rich and deep enough to make your knees buckle. Woodsy notes and amber bring us to a dramatic finish that reeks luxury and sex appeal.

Fendi can be described as breathtaking and heartbreaking. There are no equals. None.

She and I don't have a long history together but I do cherish my new friend. Just as a departed loved one remains in our hearts forever, I am hoping that Fendi will remain in my collection forever.

Back when I was a child, my mother often wore Zen EdC out of the splash bottle. It lingered on her hands and had a way of turning up on everything she touched, including her books. While she was in the middle of her Zen period, my mother happened to be reading the most enticing novel. It had strange illustrations, some of which were a bit frightening, and a beautiful hand-drawn map in the front that mysteriously featured a dragon.

All of this was irresistible to a curious child, and fortunately my wonderful, unconventional mother eventually gave in to my pleading and read The Hobbit to me as a bedtime story over the course of a few months. Not surprisingly, J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastical tale and illustrations will forever be associated with the smell of Zen for me, and I almost expect its mossy drydown to come wafting off the pages of my recent edition as it did from my mother's copy.

The different perfume sites disagree as to whether Zen is a floral or a chypre, which is not so strange for a fragrance that defies categorization; the floralcy, green notes, woods and mosses are so harmoniously balanced that it is a bit difficult to fit Zen into a particular slot. My vote would be for chypre despite the fact that Zen is missing the labdanum component from the classic formula, simply because the oakmoss is what haunts me about this particular scent. In conjunction with galbanum, it really does bring to mind the depths of Mirkwood Forest in Wilderland. Sadly, I'm not able to pick up the aquatic aspect that others mentioned, but I don't doubt that it's there by virtue of the notes listed.

As a 1964 release, Zen was on the leading edge of the golden age of chypres. I imagine it was popular during the mossy green 70s, only to fall out of favor when the power perfumes changed public taste in the 80s. At that point, subtlety was no longer a fragrant asset and Zen's whispered dark green spells fell silent with discontinuation. Although something called "Original Zen" with the beautiful black and gold sake bottle was recently re-introduced by Shisedo, I haven't tried it so I can't comment on whether it is a faithful rendition of the classic. My sincere thanks to my vintage enabler for restoring a bit of my lost childhood with the lovely sample. I will be spritzing some of it on my copy of The Hobbit for sure. :)

Yes, this Guerlain Homme series is definitely the last great Guerlain’s series for men. While the Intense flanker is just near pure perfection, this Boisée is more contextualized into a “summer-fresh” cluster, so perhaps it’s slightly less versatile and less “fascinating” than that; but still, it perfectly keeps and even enhances some facets of the unsurpassed quality of Homme and Homme Intense. So, this is a summer scent: easily among the most sophisticated ones you can get in today’s mainstream market. The only “competitors” I would find would be either some good classics (but lacking in some “contemporary twist”) or maybe some Hermès... but while they tend to be more unisex and lighter, this Eau Boisée feels bolder and with a more decided masculine shade. The clever elegance with which Wasser kept the “masculine” rhum note giving it a summery vibe thanks to mint and herbal notes is brilliant, so is also the tremendously enjoyable vetiver grass note – which is vetiver, but with a twist; grassy, kind of anisic, slightly citrusy, irresistibly natural and bracing. I perfectly get the comparison with Terre d’Hermès and maybe there wouldn’t have been any L’Eau Boisée without that, but honestly, there’s really no game for me. L’Eau Boisée smells far more crisp, natural, invigorating and complex than Terre. There’s surely something synthetic going on here too, but to my nose this smells so bright and natural. It feels golden, and it feels stereo. And plus however there’s a couple of differences; this Boisée is grassier, greener, more peppery, slightly smokier, and with a boozy note. Utter class, utter quality, utter skills. An effortless summer gem.

8,5/10